


Plus One

by cutelittlekitty



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Blow Job, Car Sex, Childhood Friends, Dancing, Dean has anxiety, Didn’t Know They Were Dating, F/F, F/M, First Time, Friends to Lovers, Hand Job, M/M, Modern AU, NSFW, Sam Ships It, Wedding Reception, Zach is an ass but what’s new, awesomely amazing art by dmsilvis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-06-29 22:11:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19839535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutelittlekitty/pseuds/cutelittlekitty
Summary: When Sam and Eileen decide to get married, Sam jokes to Dean and Cas, ‘I take it you’ve both got your plus one covered?’ to which they both reply yes.  When they show up with dates -that aren’t each other- Eileen scrambles to cover the fact that they hadn’t counted on the two extra guests.  Dean keeps feeling jealous over Cas’s date, Meg, and isn’t sure why ‘cause she really isn’t his type.  Charlie, Dean’s friend-date, flirts shamelessly with Meg.  Cas does a pretty good impersonation of the Flash when Meg kisses him, running out the doors in record time.  Sam just wonders wtf happened between Dean and Cas and why they didn’t come together.





	Plus One

**Author's Note:**

> **Artist’s Notes by Dmsilvis ( dmsilvisart.tumblr.com):**
> 
> When planning illustrations for a story I try to find a beginning, middle and end scene, at the very least. These scenes always pull a strong emotion out of me when i’m reading the fic.   
>  I also like to capture the side characters if at all possible. So this fic was like a rare gem, filled with side characters that seemed to share the spotlight with the main ship fairly equally.
> 
> 1\. When planning these, of course, Gabriel made me smile.  
>  2\. I found myself “awwwwing” at the wedding dance scene and how soft Sam was in it.  
>  3\. Then Kitty threw me into a trashcan of a ship I didn’t know I needed and gave me Charlie/Meg, oh boy did I HAVE to draw them! C’mon, I’m now in love with their personality dynamics and trying to find other CharM content.  
>  4\. Finally the Destiel end scene, the couple that the entire fic is about, it was such a wonderful image in my head.
> 
> Kitty was an absolute joy to work with, with ample reference photos and input about details of scenes. The story is fantastic!
> 
> Thank you to the mods for putting the Supernatural Trope Celebration together, it’s been a heck of collaboration, in the best way, for me! 
> 
> [SPN fanart can be found here](https://dmsilvisart.tumblr.com/tagged/dmsilvisart%20SPN%20fan%20art)  
>  [Fanfic illustrations here](https://dmsilvisart.tumblr.com/tagged/dmsilvisart%20fanfic%20illustrations)  
>  [All other artwork here](https://www.facebook.com/Dayas.M.Silvis.Art/)
> 
> **Author’s Notes by cutelittlekitty:**
> 
> The story I originally planned to do for the Trope Celebration wound up being too long (I’m hoping to write it for next year’s MBB), so I went with this shorter idea which I was able to get written in time, and I’m so glad I did! 
> 
> I love how the story turned out, and the art from [dmsilvis](https://dmsilvisart.tumblr.com) is just amazing and above and beyond anything I’d hoped for! It’s been a great collaboration experience with lots of communication and I can’t even express how grateful I am for getting to work with such an awesome partner :D Please make sure to check out the [art masterpost](https://dmsilvisart.tumblr.com/post/186354316738/art-masterpost-plus-one) and give it some love!
> 
> Big thanks to [SeaAngel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seaangelsong16/pseuds/Seaangelsong16) for the excellent beta and suggestions! And to the SPN TC mods for their abilities at herding cats :D

Dean takes a big bite of his bacon cheeseburger, following it up with a fried potato wedge. He doesn’t get how any place can say it’s a restaurant if they don’t serve real-ass fries, but this joint was his brother’s choice so he just has to make do with the best burger he’s ever tasted and pretend the fries aren’t fancy food trying to dress down. Besides, Sammy’s the one paying the ridiculous fifty-dollar-a-person prices and who the hell turns down free five-star grub?

“You know, none of that is going to run away if you take a few seconds to chew and maybe breathe here or there,” Sam points out, giving his older brother one of his milder bitch-faces. This is supposed to be a celebration and he’s not gonna let Dean ruin it.

“Hey, this burger’s so rare it might.”

“Isn’t that how you ordered it?”

“Damn right I did. It’s awesome! That wasn’t a complaint. How’s yours, Cas?” Dean asks his best friend who is seated to his right with the exact same meal. Only with twice the broccoli, because Dean gave him his. What? The burger’s got plenty of rabbit food on it; he doesn’t need any more than that.

“Delicious,” Castiel replies, smiling at Dean, then turning to Sam. “Thank you for inviting me.”

“Hey, of course we’d invite you, Cas! You’re practically family and this is an important dinner,” Sam says, clapping a hand on Cas’s shoulder.

“Speaking of, you gonna get around to telling us what makes it so important?” Dean asks around a mouthful of burger.

Blushing, Sam looks down to his plate as he cuts another piece of steak. “We can talk about that over dessert. How about you tell us what you two have been up to.” Sam pops the piece into his mouth, smiling over at Eileen who has already cut all her food up and is watching the conversation raptly, reading lips as she stabs food onto her fork and puts it into her mouth without looking.

Dean shrugs. “Same as usual; work at the garage all day then hang out afterwards.”

“I informed you of my promotion last month, didn’t I?” Cas asks. Sam and Eileen nod. “Well, it turns out I should have listened to Dean’s advice and declined.”

“Hey now, don’t go puttin’ words in my mouth. I believe my advice was to tell the asshole he could shove his offer where the sun don-”

“The ‘promotion’ basically involves doing all the same work, plus half of Mr. Adler’s, for an extra five thousand per year,” Cas continues, talking over Dean. “I wish I’d been able to do more research on the job before accepting it.”

“Sam, doesn’ that break labor laws?” Eileen asks, words thick but well articulated. 

“It could, but probably not. It depends on how the job description is worded. That doesn’t make it fair, but sometimes that’s the way the world works. I could still look over your contract for you, make sure it’s on the up and up. You could also check with his superiors and make sure they approved the promotion and position. From what you’ve said about the guy, it doesn’t sound like he’d be above bending rules to get his way.”

“Hey, I told you I’d be happy to ‘fix his car’ for him if you want, Cas,” Dean says with a grin.

“Dean, are you saying you would commit murder for me?”

“Nah. It’d be called manslaughter unless someone could prove intent. Right, Sammy?”

Sam rolls his eyes. “criminally negligent manslaughter, also called second degree or involuntary manslaughter. But considering you just talked about doing it in front of an A.D.A. I’d say proving intent would be a slam dunk.”

“Oh, come on, Sammy, you saying you’d rat me out?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Dean. Of course I’d rat you out. It’d serve you right for continuing to call me that even though I’ve told you a hundred times, it’s Sam. Sammy is a chubby twelve-year-old.”

“Dean,” Cas interjects, putting a hand on his shoulder, “ While I appreciate the sentiment, perhaps it would be best to avoid the hypothetical repercussions by not killing anyone, with or without intent?”

Chuckling, Dean smiles at Cas, pushing against his shoulder playfully. “Sure, if you want to take all the fun out of everything. But next time we have lunch together I’m _so_ tampering with his food in the employee fridge.”

Cas and Sam both roll their eyes and Eileen laughs.

  


* * *

  


“So,” Dean says, pushing his empty pie plate away and leaning back, hand patting over his full stomach, “dessert’s done. Other than signing away your first born to pay for all this, only thing left is to tell us what this celebration has been for.”

Sam looks shyly at Eileen, who nods encouragingly. “Well, Dean, Cas… I,” Sam takes a deep breath, “I asked Eileen to marry me. And she said yes.”

“That’s all? Oww, Cas,” Dean grumbles as Cas’s foot connects with his shin under the table.

“Sam, that’s amazing. Congratulations,” Cas says with a smile.

“I just meant there was no need to spend this much money to tell us you’re getting married when you have a wedding to save up for. Those things ain’t cheap, you know,” Dean clarifies in an attempt to justify his flippant answer.

“Actually, we’re going to do a small ceremony, just close friends and family, and Eileen’s best friend, Becky, is insisting on paying for the dresses and tux rentals for the wedding party, and hosting the reception as our wedding gift. So, it’s not going to cost us much. Dean, you’ll be my best man, right?”

“Me? Isn’t Gabriel your best friend?” Dean asks.

“He is, but he’s going to be walking Eileen down the aisle. Besides, Gabe and I are just friends. You’ve been friend, brother, and parent to me forever. I think that makes you more qualified to be my best man.”

“Dude, I’ve never even seen a wedding, let alone been in one. What if I screw it up?”

“You won’t,” Sam insists.

“We can look up what the duty entails together and I’ll help you.” Cas grins at Dean, patting his hand comfortingly.

“Dean, you can decline if you want, but I’d really rather have you than anyone else.”

“If it means that much to you, Sammy, of course I’ll do it. Just don’t get mad when I mess up.”

“Are you saying you don’t trust me to help you do it right?” Cas asks, brows furrowing.

“No, of course not, Cas. I’m just sayin’ I somehow manage to screw things up even when they’re foolproof.” 

“Well, considering you’re no fool, foolproof doesn’t make something Dean-proof. Besides, you’re much too hard on yourself. You think the smallest thing you do is unforgivable when other people don’t even notice,” Cas chastises. “So trust me, trust your brother, and trust yourself. You can do this.”

Dean smiles, shaking his head. “How do you always know just the right thing to say?”

“I don’t. I just always know the right thing to say to _you_ ,” Cas chuckles.

“You’d think we’ve been practically inseparable since kindergarten.” Dean nudges his shoulder against Castiel’s.

“Okay you two, knock it off. You’re giving us cavities over here, and we're the ones getting married,” Sam grumbles and Eileen laughs. “At least you don’t have to worry about a plus one for the wedding, right?”

Dean blinks. “Yeah, I think I know someone I can take.”

“Well, if Dean’s going to bring someone then I guess I will too. Err, you were inviting me, right?”

Sam and Eileen both laugh this time before Sam answers. “Of course you’re invited, Cas. Not that you need an invitation. You’re pretty much family, right?”

Nodding, Cas bows his head to hide his blush.

“Alright, no chick-flick moments. How about a round of beers and we can toast the happy news?”

  


* * *

  


“Dean! You had me worried; I was starting to think you were going to be late!” Sam exclaims, eyes catching Dean’s in the mirror he’s standing in front of as Dean enters the dressing room. Sam’s adjusting his bowtie and making sure his hair is just right. When Dean enters, Sam turns and starts fiddling with his tux too.

“Sorry, you know Murphy’s Law, right? Guy’s had it in for me today. My date can’t make it ‘til the reception, Cas had a work ‘emergency’ courtesy of Mr. Adler, and the rental place gave someone else my tux. Had to wait an hour for a tailor to alter this one to fit. But it’s good, and I’ve got the ring; ready to stand by your side.”

Fortunately, despite the bad start to Dean’s day, the wedding goes off without a hitch. Eileen’s matron of honor, Becky Shurley, stands opposite him and Dean’s glad she’s married and there are no other bride’s maids. He hadn’t been looking forward to trying to dodge the female half of the wedding party, but apparently they really did decide to keep it simple. Not that he minds a bit of flirting or even an occasional make-out session, but he’s heard single women at a wedding can be kind of… catty, for lack of a better word, and Dean had more than enough of girls fighting over him in high school.

Though he tries to focus on the wedding, knowing it’s the only one Sam will ever have, Dean finds himself going over the details Cas helped him organize in his mind. The bachelor party had been two nights ago and was a big success, especially when Gabe got drunk and started singing Lady Gaga karaoke, sans karaoke machine. Or music. Or the ability to carry a tune. But everyone laughed as he belted out the lyrics to ‘Bad Romance’, then planted a sloppy wet kiss on Sam’s cheek and passed out.

With that out of the way, the only things left were to hand Sam the ring at the right time, enter the reception with his date—behind Sam and Eileen, in front of Becky and her husband Chuck, make the first toast after dinner (thank Cas for helping him write it), start up the dancing after Sam and Eileen’s first dance (duty shared with Becky), and… and… and… shit! He knows there’s something else, but what was it? He’s already got the light birdseed to throw instead of rice (because apparently dry rice is bad for birds to eat or some shit like that), what- Dean’s thoughts silence as he realizes the ceremony has paused and everyone is looking at him. Shit! The ring! Fumbling the box out of his pants pocket, he opens it, pulls the ring free, and promptly drops it to a chorus of giggles. Swiftly scrabbling after the rolling gold and diamond band, he manages to snatch it up and hands it to Sam, who smiles as though his brother hasn’t just fucked up what’s supposed to be the best day of Sam’s life.

When the ceremony ends after Sam and Eileen break from their kiss, they both turn to Dean to reassure him, but he slaps on a sheepish grin, not wanting to further mess up the happy day by making them worry about his anxiety. They hug him then drag him and Becky outside for the wedding photos. After that, everyone is off to the reception and Dean needs to get there first to make sure everything is set up. After confirming that Sam and Eileen will be there before the other guests but after he’s had a couple minutes to check the place over, he gives his brother and new sister-in-law hugs then hops into his Impala and races to the banquet hall.

  


* * *

  


Dean has just finished looking over the hall and checking with the caterers when he steps back outside to see two cars pulling into the parking lot. One is a black, 2006 Dodge Charger; Sam’s car. The other is an old yellow Gremlin, which belongs to his best friend. Well, best friend after Cas at least, but Cas is in a category all his own that is separate from and above best friend. Wearing a jade green jumpsuit with a short, lacy, black shirt over the sleeveless top, red hair hanging loose about her shoulders and freckles standing out against her pale skin, Charlie hops out of the car, her black army boots landing on the asphalt as she swings the door shut and bounds over to Dean.

“What’s up, bitches?” She grins as she throws her arms around her date.

Sam and Eileen arrive as they’re hugging and exchange a wide-eyed glance with each other. 

“Who’s this?” Sam asks.

“This is Charlie Bradbury. She’s my plus one,” Dean replies in a Northern-British accent, and Charlie cracks up at his Christopher Eccleston impersonation. Sam and Eileen just look confused. “It’s a Doctor Who reference. I wasn’t expecting you to get it, Sammy. You’re not cool like Charlie and me.”

“Sure, Dean. You just keep telling yourself that,” Sam chuckles as they move to line up outside the door. 

The reception line will be to the right of the door once they enter, but will be made up of only the three couples. One benefit of having a small wedding party is having less time spent on the traditional parts of the wedding. Becky and Chuck join them and once other guests start arriving they go in, taking their places. As the official hosts, Chuck and Becky are first in line, then Dean and Charlie, followed by Sam and Eileen so that the new couple complete the welcome wagon. Guests enter in twos and fours, greeting their way through the line and passing congratulations and well-wishes to the newlyweds before moving into the hall to mill about, taking wine, juice, or soda from the trays being carried by waiters and munching on finger foods while they wait for the official dinner to start.

Over half the guests have gone through the reception line by the time Cas finally shows, escorting a petite woman with dark, wavy hair, soft, kissable lips beneath a cute nose, and beautiful, coquettish eyes, her porcelain skin contrasting Cas’s dark suit jacket where her hand rests on his arm. She’s wearing a short black dress with a sheer red wrap over it, covering her upper arms but leaving her alabaster shoulders bare. Dean feels a stab of jealousy as he greets his better-than-best friend, even though the girl, who Cas introduces as Meg Masters, isn’t Dean’s normal type. He usually prefers his women a bit taller.

As Cas moves on, flashing his brilliant, gummy smile at Sam and his new bride, Dean feels another pang of jealousy and wonders what the hell’s wrong with him.

Once the majority of guests have arrived and the trickle of people coming through the reception line ends, the three couples head into the room to mingle. Most of them, at least. Eileen and Sam say something to each other in American Sign Language and then Eileen dashes off.

“What’s with her?” Dean asks curiously.

“Just going to check on the caterers, make sure everything’s in order.” Sam claps a hand on his brother’s shoulder then goes to ask Bobby, their surrogate uncle, what he thought of the ceremony before Dean can protest that he’s already done that and ask if Sam doesn’t trust him.

“Hey, Dean. I thought you said there’d be bridesmaids here.” Charlie isn’t asking, she’s accusing.

“I thought there would be. But I guess when Sam said they were gonna have a small wedding, he meant really small. It’s okay, you still get free food and dancing, right?”

“Yeah, but I was at least hoping for someone I can flirt with. I still don’t get why you didn’t just bring Cas.”

“Char, it’s a wedding. I had to bring a date.”

“Then why didn’t you bring one? What’s the difference between going with me as a friend or taking Cas?”

“You’re a girl,” Dean points out, rather unnecessarily.

“Who likes girls.”

“No one else here has to know that, right?”

“Dude, pretty sure it’s gonna be obvious the second I find someone to flirt with. And again, I ask, why does your date have to be a girl?”

“Because dates are girls?”

Charlie literally face-palms. “Dates are whatever you want them to be. Come on, Dean. You’re missing the point here, keep up.”

“What point is that?” Dean asks.

“The point is, if you were gonna just bring a friend as your date, you may as well have brought Cas.”

Dean frowns at the wines on the tray a passing waitress carries but grabs one anyway and downs it, hoping to moisten his suddenly parched mouth and throat. Bring Cas? What a ridiculous idea. There’s no way he could do that. Cas is too important. What if he misunderstood and thought Dean was serious and wound up hating him? What if he got pissed at Dean for using him as an excuse to avoid getting a real date? What if they had to kiss or dance together and it was awkward and they never spoke to each other again? The number of things that could go wrong was staggering and Dean was too terrified to even think about the possibility of losing Cas.

“Hey, there’s Garth. What the heck is he wearing?” Dean says, waving to the law clerk he met through Sam. Garth has been joining in on dungeons & dragons game nights for almost a year. The abrupt change of topic and the set of Dean’s shoulders tells Charlie to drop the Cas talk, which she does. For now, at least.

  


* * *

  


_“Were they able to fix it without rearranging the whole hall?”_ Sam asks Eileen in sign language when she rejoins him.

_“Yes. They left them where they were, just added a seat on each end of the main table and shifted the left side of the table down one seat so they could sit with their dates, though it puts us off center. But I wouldn’t feel right not having him at our table even if they didn’t come together,”_ Eileen replies.

_“You don’t think we should separate them? We could put Charlie between them. If they’re fighting or something, I don’t want to force them to smile and be polite while sitting next to someone they’re mad at,”_ Sam signs back.

_“Who someone is mad to?”_ Cas signs after waving a hand between them to draw their attention.

“Oh, uh… we were just wondering if you and Dean were, um…”

“Are you and Dean fighting?” Eileen’s thick voice interrupts, cutting through Sam’s stuttering.

“Why would we be fighting?” Cas asks, giving up on signing after ‘why’ and ‘we’. He’s been taking a free ASL course at his church, taught by a charming older woman named Mildred, but he’s still a beginner.

“You didn’t come together,” Sam replies.

“Why would we fight because of that? We had always planned on coming separately, though I really am sorry I missed the ceremony. Adler can be such an assbutt sometimes.”

“No, we thought you didn’t come together _because_ you were mad at each other.”

“Dean had to get to the wedding an hour early so coming together never even crossed our minds. I guess Baby is big enough to seat four comfortably, but it just made more sense to come separately.” Cas shrugs. “Besides, Abe doesn’t get out much these days. It was nice to drive myself for a change.”

_“What?”_ Eileen signs, confusion written on her brow.

“Abe?” Sam asks.

“A-b-e,” Cas spells in sign language as he pronounces the word again. “My car. Because it’s a Lincoln. It’s stupid, I know. Dean said if I was going to drive the ‘eyesore’ I should at least give her a name. Abe seemed most appropriate.” 

“ _Her_ name is Abe?” Sam is visibly trying to suppress a laugh.

“Yes, Sam, my car’s name is Abe. Cars don’t actually have genders. Besides, even if they did, what’s wrong with calling a girl Abe? It could be short for Abelline or AnnaBeth. Or she could be named after Abraham Lincoln. Why perpetuate gender stereotypes?” Cas counters with another shrug.

“Fair enough.” Sam shrugs and Eileen laughs. “We should probably be mingling. Our other guests are going to feel neglected.”

Cas nods and they move away. At a loss for what to do next, he goes to find where Meg has wandered off to. She’s been flirting with him since she started working as Mr. Adler’s secretary two years ago, but he’s never caved to it until now. When he needed a date for the wedding, it had seemed the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. He could bring her as his date so he wasn’t lame for showing up alone, and she’d have a whole night to realize that, looks aside, Cas is about as exciting as watching paint dry and completely not her type.

  


* * *

  


Dean stands, lifting his glass and waiting for the room to quiet down. It doesn’t. Not until Cas rises and begins tapping his butter knife lightly against his own glass, giving Dean a lopsided grin as the room quiets before reclaiming his seat.

Placing a grateful hand on Cas’s shoulder, Dean looks out over the friends, family and acquaintances gathered, trying not to blush. It’s impossible, of course, but he tries. 

“So, as best man, I’m supposed to say a few words about the new couple,” Dean starts. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Sam tap Eileen on the shoulder and she stops leaning forward trying to see Dean’s lips and turns to her husband instead, who translates for her. Dean mentally yells at himself for not thinking to step back from the table so she could see his lips better. He knew Sammy shoulda had Gabe do this. To make up for it, he forces himself to speak a bit slower, though his instinct is to rush through and sit back down as fast as possible. Instead, he makes sure he gives his brother time to translate. 

“Sammy and me, we’ve always been pretty different from each other but somehow managed to be close anyway. After our parents passed away, I looked out for him and watched him grow from a gangly teen to a brilliant, kind, and talented moose of an adult.” He waits a moment for the chuckles to die out. “So yeah, we’ve been close, but when he asked me to be his best man, well, it just kinda floored me. I’m not really good with all this kinda stuff, but I just wanna say Eileen’s great, and everything I’d hope for, both for my awesome little brother and in an awesome little sister-in-law.” He turns, smiling at the couple and waiting for Sam to finish the translation. When Eileen’s eyes flick up to him, he raises his glass higher, making sure his arm isn’t blocking his mouth and speaking clearly. “Eileen, Sam, here’s hopin’ you two have the best kick-ass life together! Cheers!”

“Cheers,” the room echoes as glasses are raised.

Dean reclaims his seat quickly, head bowed as he tries to hide his embarrassment ‘cause he’d sooner face a gang of armed robbers than a room full of people listening to him stumble his way through a bunch of words. Cas puts a hand on his shoulder, not saying anything about the speech he’d worked so hard on for Dean to mangle, not commenting on the way Dean is shaking like a leaf, just offering his silent comfort and support and Dean can’t even express how grateful he is.

Sam jumps up to make his own toast, drawing attention away from his brother as he talks about how wonderful Eileen is, how happy he was when she agreed to be his wife, and how amazed he is to be blessed by getting to partner with such a wonderful woman, and with having such great friends and family to share the happy day with him. Dean manages to raise his glass without lifting his head other than to tip back a swallow. Cas rubs gently over his back with one hand, using his free hand to toast.

Eileen, and Becky make their own speeches, then everyone goes back to chatting, a few slow eaters still finishing their meals as the band begins to set up. Dean takes the opportunity to slip outside, leaning against Baby as he gulps in slow, deep breaths of the cooling early evening air.

“You okay, Dean?” 

He looks up as Cas leans against the car beside him, crossing one foot over the other. Dean follows his friend’s gaze, looking toward the woods lining the far side of the parking lot and the yellows, oranges, pinks, purples, and washed out blue of the wispy cloud-scattered sky where the setting sun is just visible over the treetops. “No,” he replies with a sigh, “but I will be. I just…”

“I know, Dean. There’s a reason you didn’t join the Drama club with Sam in secondary school no matter how much he begged. And no, I don’t think Sam ever realized. He knew you were making up excuses when you said it was because you had a bad memory and weren’t a geek like him, but I think he believed you just wanted more time for ‘chasing tail’. I never told a soul; your secret’s safe.”

“Not after tonight, it’s not. Fuck. You spent so much time helping me with my speech and I went and butchered it.”

“You didn’t. It sounded great,” Cas insists.

“I messed up half the words. Shoulda read it off the notecards we made. And I didn’t even think about making sure Eileen could see what I was saying until after Sammy started signing for her.” Dean’s breathing is still shaky and shuddering, though it has somehow managed to synch up with Cas’s as they continue to watch the sunset. In, hold, out; slow and even, easing the racing of Dean’s heart and the trembling of his hands.

“Dean, how many times do I have to tell you? You’re far harder on yourself than you deserve. It was a good speech. I bet you didn’t even hear how much everyone loved it.”

Shaking his head in denial, Dean tries to blink back the moisture in his eyes.

“They did. They liked it better than Becky’s. Maybe even more than Eileen’s. I'd say it tied with Sam's for crowd approval, though his was a bit over romantic for my taste.”

The tears spill over, though there’s no other sign of the emotions warring inside Dean. He knows Cas is always objective and honest, but he also knows his friend is trying to make him feel better about the botched speech and his brain is telling him both are equally likely so why not just listen to his own nagging voice inside his head telling him he fucks everything up and will never do anything right and why bother even tryin-

Cas drags Dean from his thoughts by pulling him into a tight hug and letting him cry on his shoulder. They don’t say anything, just stay there, Dean’s arms around Cas’s waist, Cas’s around his shoulders and rubbing soothingly up and down his back until Dean’s tears slow, then stop. By the time Dean takes a last, shuddery deep breath, squeezing in thanks before stepping away, the sun has fully set and the sky above them is pink-purple and darkening to indigo.

“S-”

“Dean, don’t apologize. You’re allowed to feel things and you’re allowed to express those feelings. And any time you need me, anything you need me for, I’m always here for you. You know that, right?” Cas asks, handing Dean his clean white handkerchief.

“Damn, I’m so not cool. This is why I hate chick flick moments. I always end up acting like a chick.”

“That’s your dad talking, Dean. He was a great man, but a bit old-fashioned in his views on gender roles. You don’t have to be traditionally ‘manly’ to be a great man. You just have to be kind and honest and always try to do what you know is right,” Cas says, giving Dean a warm smile.

“That makes you the greatest man ever, Cas.” Dean smiles, wiping the tear stains from his cheeks.

“It makes me _a_ great man, but it makes you one too.”

“Dude, you gotta promise you’ll always be my friend, no matter what, because I don’t think anyone will ever be able to calm me down like you do,” Dean says, cheeks dry as he hands Cas his handkerchief back.

“Have you forgotten? I promised you that the day we met,” Cas chuckles.

“You did?”

“Don’t you remember? First day of kindergarten, at recess. That boy, what was his name… Luke? I forget. He was older though, and bigger than us. Said I had to go down the slide or I was a big fat chicken. Then he bawked at me and flapped his arms and practically chased me up the ladder but when I got to the top and looked down, it felt so high and I got scared and couldn’t move. And you came and pushed him right on his butt then climbed up and told me to close my eyes and trust you. I did, and you slid down the slide with me and helped me land on my feet at the bottom. I promised then and there that I’d be your friend forever.”

“Geeze. That seems like something I should remember.”

“No, you were like that with everyone. Always standing up for people whether they were your friends or not. Plus it was a long time ago.” Cas scuffs a dress shoe over the asphalt, leaning a shoulder back against the Impala.

“But you remember,” Dean points out.

“That’s just because no one had ever stood up for me like that before. Or since. Even though I’m able to stand up for myself now, I’ve only gotten that way because I always know you’re in my corner, rooting for me, backing me up, supporting me. I know it was just a normal day to you, but for me it was life changing.”

“Cas, I… Geeze, I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry I don’t remember the exact day our friendship started, but it means the world to me that it did. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without you.”

“I feel the same. Let’s just make sure neither of us ever has to find out, right?”

“Yeah.” Dean claps a hand on Cas’s shoulder, squeezing to emphasize his agreement.

  


* * *

  


“Where have you been? Come on, the dancing was supposed to start fifteen minutes ago,” Charlie says when Dean and Cas rejoin the party. Grabbing Dean’s hand, she hauls him over to the edge of the dance floor and waves to Sam, who waves back with a smile, then gives a thumbs up to the band.

They start out with a cover of Atlantic Starr’s song, “Always”. Lyrics appear on a huge screen behind the musicians, superimposed over pictures of Sam and Eileen, some childhood, school, and college photos of each shown side by side, followed by pictures of them together over the years since they started dating. The newlyweds move back and forth across the dance floor, Sam keeping them positioned so Eileen can read the screen or the singer’s lips if she wants as she moves across the floor in her stocking feet, feeling the vibrations from the amplifier pumping out the music.

As the song ends, everyone claps, and Sam and Eileen kiss. Then Becky and Chuck, along with Dean and Charlie, join them on the dance floor as the band starts the next song, Metallica’s “Nothing Else Matters”. Dean wonders if Sam knows he thinks of this song as his and Cas’s. Halfway through the song, all three couples break apart to pull a new partner onto the floor, the signal for everyone else to join in. Charlie grabs Cas’s date so Dean shrugs and pulls Cas onto the floor, swinging him around into a playful waltz that draws chuckles from couples around them.

“Cas, when did you learn how to dance?” Dean asks, surprised at how easily Cas follows his lead.

“I had some lessons a few years ago, before Anna’s wedding. And you learned before the spring fling in seventh grade, right? Have you had more lessons since then? You’re really good.”

“No lessons, just plenty of practice,” Dean replies with a grin, spinning Cas and dipping him, making him laugh. “How come you didn’t learn at the same time? It was free from the school, plus got us out of regular class for a few days.”

“I wasn’t interested in dances and the lessons were during math. We were learning the Pythagorean Theorem that week.”

Dean laughs. “Yeah, and even with your help I barely passed the test on that.”

“Which is why it’s a good thing I didn’t take the lessons back then.” Cas laughs as Dean spins him out until their arms are fully extended, then pulls him back in. “You’re having fun,” he accuses, eyes twinkling.

“Darn right I am,” Dean replies with a grin, watching his language ‘cause some of the other guests on the dance floor are kids. He doesn’t notice Sam, who’s dancing with Ellen, or Eileen, partnered with Bobby, casting confused looks their way. All he sees is Cas’s wide, gummy smile and dancing blue eyes.

“Hey, mind if I dance with my date, or were you two planning on eye fucking all night?” a sulky drawl asks as the song ends, and Dean looks over to see Meg frowning at him, pretty lips downturned in a pout.

“Oh,” Dean replies, trying to hide his disappointment that their song’s already over. “Yeah, sure. Go for it.” He steps away.

Cas gives Dean a weak smile before putting a hand in Meg’s, the other on her hip, and taking the lead as the band switches to a cover of “Unchained Melody”, originally by the Righteous Brothers.

Charlie offers to dance with Dean, but he shakes his head, wondering why he’s feeling jealous again and fairly sure it’s not over the pretty brunette who just seems to rub him the wrong way. It’s almost like he’s jealous of her taking his friend’s time and attention rather than being jealous _over_ her.

After the song’s done, the band says they’re going to pick things up a bit and break into “Rock Around the Clock”. Charlie lets out a squeak of delight, grabs Meg away from Cas and pulls her into the middle of the floor as the dancers thin out.

“You know how to jitterbug?” Charlie shouts over the music.

Meg frowns, but nods. Suddenly she’s stuck following Charlie’s lead, but showing considerable skill as Charlie swings her about. The fact that she’s giving glimpses of her black lace panties as they dance doesn’t seem to bother her, and Dean’s sure she’s doing it on purpose, trying to entice Cas.

By the end of the song, the other dancers have stopped, forming a wide circle around the dancing girls that erupts into whistles, cheers, and applause. Still holding one of Meg’s hands, Charlie pulls the shorter woman into a bow with her. Meg goes along with it, tossing a wave and smirk at some of the more enthusiastic cheerers. As they leave the dance floor, the circle dissolves back into dancing groups and couples, the band already starting in on the next song.

“Can I buy you a drink,” Charlie asks Meg with a grin as they get back to where Cas and Dean are waiting.

“It’s an open bar,” Meg points out sardonically.

“Fine then, can I fetch you a free drink?”

“Are you trying to hit on me?” Meg asks, arching an eyebrow.

“Not trying to. I _am_ hitting on you.” 

“Right in front of my date?”

“Date? You’re just here as friends, right?” Charlie questions.

“No, we’re here as a couple. On a date,” Meg insists.

“With Cas? You can’t be.”

“Why not?”

“Because Cas is-,” Charlie pauses, looking at her best friend’s ‘better-than-best friend’, “You aren’t his type.”

“How would you know?”

Charlie rolls her eyes. “I’ve known him for ages. Seriously, he’s just not that into you.”

“I’ll have you know we’ve been flirting for years. And he’s the one who asked me out,” Meg counters in her defense.

“Cas, tell her,” Charlie demands, looking pointedly at the man in question.

“But she has been flirting with me for years, and I did ask her to come here with me,” Cas replies.

“Yes, but you aren’t romantically into her, right?”

“I… I asked her out,” Cas hedges.

“Oh, for hell’s sake. Look, I’ll prove it to you,” the petite brunette interjects, pulling Cas down by his lapels and kissing him.

Dean stares, jaw dropping as the angry green-eyed monster he refuses to call jealousy tears into his chest like a pack of hell hounds.

Charlie glares, arms crossing over her chest as Meg pulls back with her brows knit.

“Clarence?” Meg asks, head tilting as she frowns up at the unresponsive man. Licking her lips, she tries again, pressing in for another kiss, tongue gliding against the seam of Castiel’s lips which refuse to open, though he doesn’t seem to be rejecting her. But neither is he encouraging her.

Cas’s eyes meet Dean’s and he suddenly pulls away, cheeks flushing as he turns and runs toward the door.

Dean only blinks in confusion for a second before dashing after Cas, not really hearing Sam’s voice as he joins Charlie and Meg.

“Looks like it worked,” Sam comments.

“Let’s hope so,” Charlie replies, chuckling. “Seriously though, Meg, can I get you a drink.”

“I should say no, but I definitely think I need one. What just happened?” Meg asks.

“Come on, I’ll explain while we drink,” Charlie says.

Dean doesn’t really hear any of that as he follows Cas out the door.

  


* * *

  


“Cas, wait! Please, talk to me!” Dean calls, trying to catch up. He only manages to close the distance when Cas stops at his car and fumbles with his keys, trying to get them into the lock. “Cas, please!” he repeats, a hand on his friend’s shoulder spinning him around and pushing him against the door of his pimpmobile.

“Don’t look at me,” Cas mumbles, head bowed and eyes closed.

“Why not? Cas, what is going on? Why did you run away like that?”

“Because I couldn’t do it. I wanted to, but I couldn’t.”

“Couldn’t what, kiss Meg? Cas, I know you’re a nice guy, but you can’t force yourself to be attracted to someone just because they like you. If she has feelings for you, that’s not your fault and you don’t have to return them.”

“But I like her. Of any girl I’ve ever met, she’s the only one I could see myself having any chance of liking as more than a friend. I should have been able to at least kiss her,” Cas says, turning away from Dean as he folds his arms on the top of the car and thumps his forehead lightly against them a few times.

“Should’ve been able to?” Dean asks, moving closer. “Cas, why would you try to force yourself? You like who you like, or don’t like who you don’t like. That doesn’t change who you are, and your friends will stick by you.”

“It doesn’t change who I am, but what if I’ve been hiding who I am for years? Will friends stick by me when they find out I’ve been lying to them all that time?”

“Not mentioning something isn’t the same as lying. But Cas, you know you don’t have to hide anything from me, right?”

Cas doesn’t answer.

“Whether you’re gay or asexual or pan or demi, none of that matters to me,” Dean insists vhemently.

“I wish it did,” Cas mumbles too softly for Dean to be sure what he heard.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“No, Cas. Not nothing. What did you say.”

“I said I’ll always be your friend, no matter what. And I hope you’ll always be mine too,” Cas replies, back still to Dean as he lays his cheek on his crossed arms atop the car.

“Of course. We’ve been inseparable since the day we met.”

“Yes.”

“We’ll always be together, right?”

“Yes, Dean.”

“You and me, against the world, no matter what?”

“Always.” Cas sighs, looking small and defeated, then turns, grabs Dean by the lapels—just like he’d been grabbed by Meg—and kisses him.

Blinking, Dean sees the unshed tears in Cas’s eyes and freezes, not sure what to do. This is- Cas is- Does Cas- He barely has a chance to register what’s happening before Cas pulls away, turning back to the car and resting his cheek on his folded arms again.

“Friends.” Cas sighs again, shoulders slumped.

Dean isn’t sure what to think or how he feels, but Cas got two kisses from Meg to be certain; Dean damn well deserves a second chance too. Grabbing Cas’s shoulder, he pulls him around then steps closer, eliminating the space between them and pressing Cas up against the car. This time, Cas is the one who freezes when their lips meet and Dean wonders if he messed up again, like always. But when his tongue presses along the seam, Cas’s lips part, desperate for the taste and feel of Dean like a drowning man drawing his first gasping breath of air after being far too long under cold, oppressive water.

Moaning, Cas wraps his arms around Dean’s waist and rolls sideways, reversing their positions so that Dean is the one pressed up against the car. Cas melds his body to Dean’s, shuddering as their groins brush together and he feels twitching through cloth against his own half-hard cock, proof that Dean at least has the ability to respond to him physically.

It’s not just the ability to respond though; Dean also has the desire. He wants Cas. They’ve always been so close that the thought of there being more to their relationship never crossed his mind. Because lovers come and go; Cas is eternal. How has he gone all these years without this? One hand tangling into no-longer-carefully-styled dark curls, he deepens the kiss, claiming Cas’s mouth as his other hand slides down his back to squeeze his ass, pulling him closer.

Cas makes a growl deep in his throat that Dean’s not sure his friend is even aware of. How long has Cas been wanting this and denying himself? Why hasn’t he ever said anything? Cas ruts against Dean, trembling in his effort to hold back, to not just dry hump his best friend like a horny teen, but he’s held these feelings locked away for far too long and Dean understands his inability to hold back.

The Lincoln they’re pressed against is only a few cars over from Dean’s Impala, which would be a much better make-out spot. The impala is at the edge of the parking lot, just across a small field from the woods, which would also offer seclusion. But given the choice between unwanted spectators and unwanted bug bites, he’d take the first option, thank you very much. 

“Cas,” he pants, breaking their kiss with a moan as Cas adjusts the fit of their bodies, his rocking hips bringing Dean to full attention. “Cas, stop...”

Making a sound like a wounded animal, Cas jumps away immediately, turning as though about to flee. Dean grabs his wrist before he has the chance. “Hey, calm down; I just meant we should go somewhere more private.” Dean pulls Cas over to the Impala, fingers fumbling as he fits the keys to the lock. The second he has the door opened, Cas pushes him into the back seat and Dean grins up at his friend when he crawls in after, shutting the door behind him.

“Gotta say, you takin’ charge like that is kinda hot.” He grins.

Cas blinks down at Dean, fingers pausing in their work of unfastening Dean’s tux pants. “Crap. Sorry, is this okay? I didn’t even ask-”

Ignoring the heat he feels rising in his cheeks, Dean grabs Cas’s hand, rubbing it over his achingly hard cock. “Even without asking, I think you’ve already got your answer,” he points out.

“But Dean, you like girls.” Cas starts to sit back on his heels, to pull away, but Dean doesn’t release his hand, keeping him in place.

“I do. I like girls a lot. But Cas, I like you so much more. I’ve always loved you more than any woman, I just didn’t realize we could be together like this. No one has ever gotten me this hard this fast, and I don’t think anyone but you ever could.”

“So, this is okay?” Cas asks.

“More than okay. Fuck, Cas, I want you so bad right now.”

“Dean, me too,” Cas breathes as his fingers go back to Dean’s pants, making quick work of the fastenings. He pulls the interfering clothing down enough to release Dean’s straining cock, staring at the throbbing length as it springs free and running a thumb over the moisture beading at the flushed tip. Leaning down to take it into his mouth, he pauses, just shy of touching, to look up at Dean. “Are you sure this is okay?” he asks.

“Like I said, more than okay,” Dean repeats. “Please.”

Needing no further confirmation, Cas takes Dean into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the tip before going further, tongue running over the underside as he swallows him down. Taking Dean deep, he begins bobbing his head up and down. At first the movements are slow, cautious as he tests his own abilities. But it isn’t long before he’s working Dean better than any girl ever has, tongue doing things Dean’s never dreamed, let alone felt. Dean is writhing beneath his ministrations, moaning and swearing as Cas quickly has him hovering on the edge, until a disturbing thought pushes impending release right the fuck out of his mind.

“Cas, you’re so fucking good. Who taught you?” He asks, hating to voice the question but suddenly needing to know. Dean knows it isn’t fair to ask, because Cas is well aware of just how many girls Dean’s been with, but for some reason, it’s different. Dean’s never even thought of being with a guy, so the idea that Cas has done this before, with a guy other than him, well… fair or not, he needs to know.

“You did, Dean.”

“What?” That wasn’t the answer he’d expected, but considering he’d thought Cas would rattle off a list of his conquests, he was more than happy with it. Even if it was confusing as hell.

“Every night when I closed my eyes for the past twenty years I’ve been dreaming of doing this with you. Sure, that was just in my own mind, but I’ve heard you talk enough over the years about what you’ve liked and not liked with girls. I think my fantasies have improved, grown more toward what I know you’d enjoy instead of just what I think you’d like. And simply imagining being allowed to pleasure you sexually is more than enough to get me off. Dean, if you’re really okay with this, with us being lovers, I have years of fantasies built up to share with you.”

“Fuck, that’s hot,“ Dean groans, cock swiftly coming back to attention despite the brief dousing of cold logic. “You’ve really paid attention to what I’ve talked about liking, even though it wasn’t with you? Shit, I can’t believe I even did that. If I’d known how you felt-”

“It’s okay, Dean. You didn’t know. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous, but it’s given me an advantage now, and fueled my fantasies. I never thought I’d have the chance to put that knowledge to use.”

Dean grins. “So if you’ve been paying attention, then what’s my biggest turn-on during sex?”

“Reciprocation,” Cas replies without hesitation.

Dean scoots to the edge of the bench seat then rolls so that Cas is lying on his side between him and the back of the seat. Unfastening Cas’s suit pants, he pushes them down enough to free Cas’s Cock which is just as hard as Dean’s.

“Dean?” Cas asks, brows furrowed in confusion.

“I ain’t gonna be the only one coming.”

“But it’ll be messy like this; your tux is rented, isn’t it?

“Who gives a damn?”

“Chuck and Becky when they have to pay a cleaning fee?” Cas suggests.

Sighing, Dean reaches blindly behind him into the footwell, rolling so far he almost falls off, and comes up with a flannel he’d pulled off and chucked back there sometime in the past week. “Here,” he says, thrusting the shirt into Castiel’s hand. “I’ll handle making the mess, you take care of cleanup.”

Cas looks unsure, but when Dean’s strong hand wipes through Cas’s saliva still coating his own cock, then over both of their heads, swiping up the precum there to ease the motion, Cas trembles. And when Dean starts stroking, the glide of his hand chases any capability for rational thought from Cas’s mind.

“Kiss me, Cas,” Dean murmurs, and Cas, eyes closed, obliges. The hand under his body squirms up to tangle into Dean’s hair as their lips meet, Cas’s tongue invading, twining with and thrusting against Dean’s in time with the rocking of his hips thrusting into Dean’s hand. Though Dean was closer to the edge than Cas when he started jerking, he’s in no danger of coming first; too intent on the pleasure of the moment and making sure Cas gets what he needs. After all, his better-than-best friend has been waiting for this far longer than Dean has. 

Cas whimpers into Dean’s mouth, flannel shirt clutched forgotten in his left hand, as his right flexes in Dean’s soft, short hair. Dean’s cock is swollen and twitching against his, Dean’s fingers wrapped tightly around both their lengths as they fuck up into his hand in tandem. Wrapping his left arm around Dean’s shoulder, he pulls him closer as his hips pick up speed, so close, so unbelievably close after so many years thinking he’d never have this and now they’re here, together, mouths melded, tongues twined, rutting into the channel of Dean’s hand. It’s so perfect, so amazing, and he can’t- “Dean,” he pants, breaking the kiss, his hips stuttering as he reaches for that peak, “Dean, I can’t-” he feels his balls tightening, “I’m gonna-”

“Yeah, me too. It’s okay, Cas. Come for me.”

And he does, the first spurt slicking the glide as Dean continues to stroke, fingers squeezing as his own orgasm hits and Cas belatedly remembers the flannel shirt, quickly clamping it over their erupting cocks and hopefully saving their clothing from most of the damage. They both shudder as Dean strokes them through their orgasms, foreheads pressed together as they simply breathe, sharing the air between them as easily as they’ve always shared everything else. Everything but this. And now they’ve shared this too and it just feels… complete. 

After helping clean the mess from their softening cocks, Dean wipes his hand clean on a dry part then tosses the flannel back into the footwell. Pressing closer, his right arm wraps around Cas, holding him tenderly. He shifts a bit to get his left arm under his head, propping it up enough to lose himself in the blue of Cas’s eyes.

The moment needs no words as they both lean in to kiss, just a gentle coupling of lips, over and over as though neither could ever get enough, let alone grow tired of it. Long minutes tick by unheeded, neither able to think about where they are, the party they’re missing, or anything that isn’t the press of lips or beating of hearts.

Dean has no idea how much time has passed in the wonderous silence that blankets them like a spell, granting their wish to hide them from the world, give them this time together to simply marvel at how much has changed between them without really altering anything. Speaking would disrupt the magic and, while there’s so much for them to talk about, Dean doesn’t want their moment to end, though he expects to have many more in the future. But none of those will ever be this one, the birth of something new, something more, between them. Still, there’s a question he’s anxious to ask and it worries at the back of his mind until it won’t be ignored any longer. With a last, lingering kiss, he opens his mouth, drawing breath to speak.

“It’s okay Sam, they’re clothed!’ Eileen’s thick voice calls from just outside the Impala’s window.

Both jump and scramble, Dean landing in the footwell. He rushes to tuck himself back in and do his pants up even as he tries to turn into the carpet to hide his exposed cock. Cas is a bit more composed as he lands on his knees in the seat, swiftly turning away from Eileen to fix his own pants.

“Mostly,” Eileen adds with a laugh.

“Jesus, Dean. You guys have been out here for almost two hours. I thought you’d be done by now,” Sam says as he opens the door, rolling his eyes at their dishevelled states.

“You couldn’t have given us ten more minutes? We were about to come back in,” Dean grumbles, giving Sam a run for his money in the best eye-roller competition despite still being ridiculously wedged in the footwell of the car.

“We were?” Cas asks.

“I was about to suggest it.”

“Sorry, Sam, we didn’t mean to be selfish on your big day,” Cas apologizes as he starts to get out of the car. Dean stops him by hooking a finger through his belt loop.

“You two go ahead, we’ll be there in just a few minutes,” Dean tells his brother.

“Okay, but no more than five minutes; we’re getting ready to toss the bouquet and cut the cake,” Sam replies as he and Eileen head off.

“What’s up, Dean?” Cas asks, holding out a hand to help him up from his awkward position.

Not sure he could have gotten up on his own, Dean accepts gratefully. “Okay, I need to ask you a question, and it’s not something I ever thought I’d ask anyone, let alone you, but…” He leans in and whispers into Cas’s ear, watching his friend’s eyes go wide.

“Dean, I-”

Placing a finger over Cas’s lips, Dean stops his words. “Give it some thought before you answer, ‘kay?”

Cas doesn’t say anything as they straighten themselves out, helping each other tuck their shirts back in. When he points out the wet spot on Dean’s thigh where he’d landed on the shirt they’d used to keep clean, Dean groans. He pops the trunk and grabs a spare pair of jeans, then strips down to his boxers and shimmies into the clean pants. Yeah, the jeans’ll stick out, but it’s a hell of a lot less embarrassing than walking around in slacks with a wet spot, especially considering what made it.

  


* * *

  


By the time they make it inside, Eileen is already tossing the bouquet, which winds up being caught by a little girl who looks to be maybe six or seven. It’s not like she had much competition though; there were only three other unmarried girls there. One of them is younger than her, and Charlie was busy holding Meg back.

They join the crowd gathered around the couple as Sam announces it’s time to toss the garter belt. Eileen sits on a chair, blushing as Sam slides her white dress up to her thigh, showing off her strong, shapely leg as he slides the garter down. There are cheers and whistles, concluding with jokingly disappointed awws when he pulls her dress back down to cover her leg.

“Okay, let’s have all the unmarried men out here on the dance floor. Ladies, you might want to stand back. Guys can get pretty frantic fighting over who gets to be the next one married. Oh, did I say gets to? I meant _has_ to.” 

The crowd laughs as everyone finds a place. There are far more unmarried boys than there were girls, all jokingly jostling for the best spot. 

“Everyone ready?” Sam grins at the jovial confirmations, then snaps the garter like a rubber band straight up in the air where it races into a sharp arc, then descends as gravity takes over.

There’s lots of pushing and shoving, not so much because the guys want the symbol but simply because they’re competitive and want to win. A hand emerges from among the reaching fingers, snatching the garter from the air before it’s even in range for anyone else, and the group of guys parts, revealing Cas landing in a crouch, garter gripped tightly in his hand.

Tilting his head, Cas raises an eyebrow at Dean, a silent question. When Dean grins wide in answer, Cas walks over to him, slipping the garter over his left hand and, sliding his own right hand under the band, twines his fingers with Dean’s, garter holding their forearms together. “Yes, Dean,” he says simply, gifting one of his rarely seen, wide, gummy smiles.

Dean has no words for the joy that bubbles and explodes in his chest so he simply wraps his right arm around Cas’s waist and pulls him close, claiming his lips as the reception guests around them break into cheers and applause. It occurs to Dean that he’s detracting from the day that should be all about Sam and Eileen, but when he cracks an eye open to look for them, he finds both grinning happily and shooting him a thumbs up. Charlie, supporting a very tipsy Meg who’s busy sucking a hickey onto the redhead’s neck, gives Sam a high-five.

Pulling back, Dean captures Cas’s gaze, making sure he has his attention. He’s never said it before; not to a lover at least, though he’s said it to Cas. But that was in an entirely different context, and though it might seem abrupt to anyone else, this has been building for years behind a screen he hadn’t even known was there until Cas pulled it away and bam, there’s a frickin palace built in secret while he wasn’t paying attention. “I love you, Cas.”

Cas laughs, squeezing Dean’s hand that’s still belted with his by the garter. “I certainly hope so, since I already said yes and take-backs aren’t allowed. I love you too, Dean. So much, for so long. And finally being allowed to say so makes me very happy.”

Dean kisses him again and it lasts until Sam shoves playfully at his shoulder.

“Just make sure Mr. Adler doesn’t make you miss your own wedding like he made you miss mine.”

“You mean Zachariah Adler?” Chuck asks as he and Becky join them.

Cas blushes. “I’m sure he wouldn’t be that unreasonable. He’ll probably wait until the honeymoon to call me in to do his work for him. Or at least wait until the ceremony is done.”

“Castiel, has he been making you do his work for him?” Chuck asks.

“Technically, no. He talked me into accepting a ‘promotion’ without mentioning that I’d still be doing all the work I did before but with the added bonus of getting to do half of his work too. Not that I’m complaining. I should’ve looked over the fine print before accepting. I just wish he’d be more reasonable about when I do all this extra work. I really would’ve liked to have seen Sam and Eileen walk down the aisle.”

“Yeah, Mr. Sshurley. Why’sh Adler allowed to be sho mean to my little Clarence?” Meg asks, her drawl slurred by drink.

“He’s not.” Chuck frowns.

“Wait, Mr. Shurley, as in owner and CEO of Edlund Enterprises?” Cas asks, eyes widening. He’d just been complaining to his boss’s boss’s boss. That hadn’t been his intention at all.

“You are?” Eileen asks, thick voice laced with surprise.

“Chuck prefers flying under the radar, so we don’t generally tell people about it. I’d rather have people like me for me than be toadying up to me because they think we have money or power.” Becky smiles apologetically to her best friend.

“You know I’d never-”

“Oh, I know that, Eileen. And besides, even just thinking we were fairly well-off you never treated me any differently because of it. I knew a long time ago you wouldn’t care about Chuck’s job, I just never had an occasion that prompted me to tell you. Until now.

“And Zachariah definitely does not have the right to take advantage of you, Castiel. He did ask approval for a promotion and raise for you, which I gave, but I definitely read the fine print and there was nothing about you doing his work. You’d already been doing more work than your position required and I wanted to reward that drive and dedication to your job. The 15k raise was in appreciation of the extra tasks you were already doing. If there are more duties listed under the new job description, they were added after I signed it, which is definitely not cool.”

“Cas, didn’t you say the pay increase was only five thousand?” Sam asks casually. Cas nods nervously.

“Oh, is it now? That’s odd, because our budget shows a 15k increase. I wonder where that extra 10k could be going?” Chuck muses, eyes narrowing.

Sam grins mischievously as he pulls a business card from his inside pocket. “Embezzlement is a prosecutable offense. When you bring the cops in, tell them I’m handling the case.”

“I wasn’t trying to get Mr. Adler in trouble. I shouldn’t have said anything, I-”

Dean cuts him off. “Cas, none of that. Adler’s an ass, and he made his own bed. He knew what he was doing was illegal, just didn’t expect anyone to ever find out about it because you don’t talk to other employees very much, so who would you tell?” He’s furious at Cas’s boss for having taken advantage of his loyal and hardworking nature.

“If he was sneaking money from Cas, he was probably sneaking it from other places too. Give me a crack at his computer, I can ferret out all things nefarious,” Charlie adds, ready to go to bat for her best friend’s better-than-best friend. Or rather, fiancé now. Wow, they totally skipped the boyfriend phase. But then, they’ve been boyfriends in almost every sense of the word for more years than anyone can be bothered to count.

“I think I should probably have the police do that, but thank you for offering.” Chuck smiles at Charlie.

“Actually, Charlie’s a special consultant we call in often,” Sam supplies. “I would rather she have first crack at his computer. If he has any fail safes on there, the police techs will probably either set it off and erase evidence, or have to call Charlie in anyway.”

“Well, in that case, I’ll be glad to have your help, young lady,” Chuck says, shaking hands with Charlie who gives him a business card. Well, it’s a reasonable facsimile that she makes herself, printed four at a time on index cards and ‘laminated’ with clear packing tape. They’re obviously homemade, but still look great. 

“Castiel, we’ll discuss proper compensation for the extra work you’ve been doing, plus a real promotion, on Monday. I’m thinking I’d like you to take over Zach’s position b-”

“Sir, I appreciate the thought, but there are parts of his job I’m not comforta-” Cas interrupts.

“If you’d let me finish, I was going to say I’d like you to take over the position, but with an assistant to handle menial tasks and the parts of the job requiring excessive personal interaction like attending meetings or giving presentations. I’ve had my eye on you for a while, Castiel. You’re an excellent employee and would be much further up the corporate ladder if you weren’t worried about those things.” Chuck grins at Cas, who is shocked to learn that the owner of the company has taken note of him.

“Thank you, Sir.” Cas says, blushing. 

Unable to contain his happiness any longer, Dean pulls Cas into a tight hug. Though the hug feels like it will never end, Dean pulls back after less than half a minute to find Cas’s lips and cover them with his own. He hears the end of _The Princess Bride_ playing in his mind as their lips meld together and wonders if this kiss could make that list the narrator talked about.

“Okay, you two. Eileen and I are supposed to be the sappy ones today. Besides, it’s time to cut the wedding cake.” Sam grins, pulling Dean toward the dessert table where the cake has been brought in. Eileen follows behind Cas, who’s tugged along by the garter still linking his wrist with Dean’s. The cake has five layers, each on a silver platform supported by diagonal poles resting on the edges of the platform below. But the coolest thing about it is that two of the layers are pie, the second tier one cherry -Dean’s favorite- the fourth tier apple.

“Sam, Eileen… you both rock! I swear, you’re the best brother and sister-in-law ever!” Dean laughs, then lowers his voice. “And I don’t just mean for having pie,” he adds just for their ears, holding up his and Cas’s clasped hands.

“Hey, what are siblings for? Besides, watching you two feel each other up for years without either of you realizing what you were doing was just too much to endure.”

Dean and Cas both blush up to their ears. 

“Okay, shut up and shove cake in each other’s faces so I can get my hands on that pie,” Dean grumbles, punching his brother’s arm lightly then bumping shoulders with Cas. The two of them back away, leaving Sam and Eileen the center of attention once more as they pick up the knife together to cut the cake, photographer’s camera flashes going off as the guests cheer.

It’s definitely Sam and Eileen’s night, but they aren’t the only couple starting a life of shared bliss that evening.


End file.
